On August 15, when India celebrates its Independence Day, the official celebrations from the ramparts of the Red Fort in New Delhi will, for the first time in 80 years, mark a departure from tradition. India’s national anthem “Jana Gana Mana” (The Minds of All People), which was penned by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, will be preceded by the singing of the national song, “Vande Mataram” (Hail Mother India)
Singing the national song first was a clear move by India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government to “degrade the national anthem to a secondary status,” The Wire pointed out.
This is significant as the national anthem has constitutional status and, as per official protocol, is considered the highest musical symbol of the republic. However, the BJP and its affiliates in the Sangh Parivar have never been fond of the secular content of the national anthem and have consistently demanded primacy for the more controversial Vande Mataram, which has clear Hindu religious overtones.
Recently, the Narendra Modi government amended the law to bring Vande Mataram on par with the Jana Gana Mana. Previously, while the national anthem was played on state and ceremonial occasions, the national song was largely restricted to cultural events, and even then it was only its first two verses that were sung.
